Just Me!!

It's official, it's gone, and since it is Non-Judgment Day (or so say Hoda and Kathi Lee) I will share this with you! I've officially lost my desire to cook, read, scrapbook, and sew. Some of these things have been gone for quite sometime, but the joy of cooking is the latest thing to go! Remember you're not judging right? I simply have lost the joy I had in all of these things...scares me a little! I know life has it's hills and valleys, but the joy found in these simple pleasures never return. Last night we watched Crazy, Stupid, Love. It is a hilarious movie, but one that will also make you stop and think about your own life. For those of us that are getting older, it makes you wonder, "have I lost myself?" Easy to do with life, and kids. At this point in my life I know that I don't care, or rather I do, but have no energy to change things. Then my wise coworker posted this on FB today: "Dreams make the difference between living a life, and ...

Woke up early for dinner party Thursday November 23. Ate. Went to work at 7pm. Thursday, November 24th, I worked off at 0730. Ran home. slept two hours, got up, dressed everyone, headed to the in laws for Thanksgiving, ate, ate some more, gossiped with the girls, played "May I?" rushed to Shannon's for the Black Friday Ad Strategy, stayed up till midnight, and then continued to shop till 10 am! =41 hours of no SLEEP (longest I have ever gone)!!!! Mark and Charlie went over to the Slaughter's for some football/play time. Valerie ended up sleeping in till 5pm after we got home. Poor girl was so tired after her first adventures with Black Friday. For the record, when I forget next year, she did great. No complaining, dirty looks, or bad attitude. She was slightly bored with the process but that will change when she decides what she wants to purchase for people. Can't wait till next year....! I enjoy this tradition, no matter how chaotic it is. I lov...

We knew it was coming! Our neighbor asked our permission weeks ago. Today, Frosty the Snowman arrived, perfectly nuzzled between our yard and his. Charlie loves him, and wishes she could sit in his lap. She also fancied his reindeer. Now we better getting moving on our holiday decorations or it will be Christmas with the Kranks all over again.

Who can ask for anything more???

I have this week off so the kids always try and hit me up for play dates, especially Charlie! Her and Ryan requested Tuesday as their play day (Ryan was just trying to get out of nap time). I took them to Goodwill and the Dollar Tree (they are so easy to please at this age). They each got a book, puzzle, and a small apple juice. A man in the store asked me if they were twins...I said nop. He said, "they act like brother and sister." I love that these two cuties love each other so much--makes my heart melt!

The last of our cabin pictures. We did have a blast...and enjoyed every minute of it! We are glad to be home, with all our kids! We missed them. Last night we had a quiet night with the kids. Dinner (homemade nachos), preparations for a week of school, laundry, baths, and grocery shopping completed the night! When H&A dropped off the kids, they informed us of some issues the kids were dealing with...ones that we have been working on since I don't know...FOREVER. In an effort to continue where they left off (instead of taking it too personally, which I started too), I woke up at 1230am and 0430 am to take both Charlie and Ethan to the bathroom. Potty Training! Maybe in a week I will have two kids who are potty trained in the middle of the night. Ethan was sooo easy to get up last night,  which is a HUGE change. They both woke up dry....score one for Arlene! Then this morning I called and made arrangements for my son to have a friend come over after school. Ethan made some c...

We love having our little L.O.V.E getaways and this time we planned a three night, four day stay in a cabin in Packwood, Washington. We left Thursday night via HWY 7 (with me driving) and almost got to Elbe before Mark forced me to the side of the road, in the dark . He was demanding to drive but I was scared to get out because I was sure Mr. Hook man was waiting for us. I quickly surrendered my driver's seat, and he drove the rest of the way. On the way, we talked about the Hook man, Chainsaw man, and possibly getting kidnapped and taken to the House of Wax , where Brain Van Holt would turn us into wax statues. So after all the scary talk, I had to make a stop in Randal for a bathroom break The bathroom at this gas station was located out back, in the dark . As I walked past the payphone (you see this coming right, in a movie anyways), it rang. In the midst of the moment, like one of those dumb blondes in a horror movie, I picked it up. F-R-E-A-K-Y. Mark yelled...

She is growing so big! We have sponsored Keyling Isabel Obando Mercado for three years now! World Vision has given us the exciting opportunity to help Keyling! She will be 4 years old January 4th (same day/year as Charlie) and currently weighs 34 lbs. She is attending her first level of preschool and enjoys finger painting and playing with dolls. Charlie took a few moments this morning to color her sister a picture of Totoro, and loved staring at her picture Keyling drew for Charlie. So sweet...

I know I am late posting. So SHOOT me! He hee. Worked 6 days in a row, so EVERYTHING else was put on hold. We are hoping to make this family Trick O Treating event a tradition. We drove to Lacey and spent the time canvasing a large neighborhood close to where my sister lives. These people know how to decorate and it seems after going through the kid's Halloween bags, that they also knew to give out the "good" candy (CHOCOLATE). October is over, but the candy bags are still half full. The kids have used the same bags since October 2006. My mom sent the bags to them while we were living in Arkansas. I have grown very attached to these bags, and had a near heart attack when we almost didn't find them on Halloween. You can see the bags here in this picture, well Ethan's anyways. The night was a blast, and ended at Shari's for some real food. We are truly blessed!

Guest Post: Ethan Wegley  I was at a awesome party this recent weekend! there was a lot of food people candy and a hugggge contest! My sister Val and her friend Courtney spend her first hour dueling Courtney in a game and lost big time but got close. I only had a sandwich, chips, candy, and some more candy! When it was the contest I was sick. I can't believe nobody voted for me. ^.^ . When it was done the other people fetched what was left of the food. I can't wait till the next time in the mean time Happy Halloween.

Guest Post: Valerie Wegley Last Saturday was the best weekend I’ve had in a long time. Everybody crowded around the kitchen in search of something good to eat, their bodies all clothed in costume. Can you guess what day it was? It was the Wegley’s annual Halloween party, that’s what! All my relatives were all dressed splendidly. Me as a Geisha, my brother as an air force pilot from top gun, my aunt Shannon as Black Swan, my grandpa as a scarecrow, my best friend Courtney as a cat-witch, and so on. Then the contest came, and my anxiety meter went to EXTREME. Unfortunately I didn’t win, but ironically my friend the cat-witch won, along with Courtney the schoolgirl, Portia the Goth girl, Frank the bunny (my dad), scary scarecrow (Grandpa), the zombie (Uncle Jeremy), and Chris who posed as the big bad wolf dressed as grandma. Next there was the ages 1-5 contest, but they don’t matter. Just Kidding, Charlie my sissy went as Belle and won first place in her age group. After the costu...

I had a crazy thought earlier in October....I should go to the Women of Faith Conference. Who cares if it was: 1. Expensive 2. Same weekend as my Halloween Party 3. Another hotel stay in our already busy month 4. An inconvenience to change my daycare schedule, and my husbands' schedule 5. In Seattle with horrid traffic 6. Two days away from my kids, who hadn't yet carved pumpkins 7. Taking time away from planning the party, decorating, cleaning, finding what to wear I didn't care till about the Monday before, when my sister asked if she should buy our tickets. I was hoping she would forget, or just say "let's not." I do this, find something I am OVER THE TOP about, and then panic forces my anxiety to answer the door and cancel ALL plans that were previously set in motion. Fortunately, my sister isn't like that. Friday morning, 9am I found myself planted in my seat, waiting for the Women of Faith to move me. We had, or I did anyways, I great time...